Artist Draws Attention To Disabled Rights By Pairing Disorders And Disabilities With Disney Princesses

This artist chose to lend his voice through his skills and it's amazing!

Maryjane

• Published in Disney
• July 27, 2022

Millions of people in the world today are disabled. Many people with disabilities reside in conflict zones or poor nations, where they face a number of obstacles to receiving basic services like education and healthcare.

They experience violence and prejudice in numerous nations. The right of people with disabilities to live independently is frequently violated because many of them are imprisoned in institutions, shackled, or repeatedly cycled through the criminal justice system.

Without a doubt, Disney princesses have been and will continue to be a major inspiration for a good number of artists. But this time, they aren't the main focus of the story.

There is a series called the "Royal Service Dogs" and it portrays the traditional Disney princesses as people with disabilities. Not just that, these princesses are actually assisted by their service dogs.

This series is put together by an artist named Arien Smith, and he sees his work as "both a critique of the lack of disabled characters and an advocacy for disability rights." This artist also describes himself as a self-identified activist, an advocate, a trainer, a writer, and someone who wants to help spread the word about the numerous ways that service dogs can help their disabled owners.

We have gathered some of this artist’s work for you to see below, so go ahead and check them out.

1) Disney Princess Cinderella

Cinderella lives with fibromyalgia, which is an invisible condition but can be disabling for many people. Your service dog help her out by removing her shoes.

2) Disney Princess Rapunzel

Here the image represents Complex PTSD and Dissociative Identity Disorder. C-PTSD is a type of response to prolonged trauma (frequently in childhood). Service dog is helping her out of a very strong dissociative state, then providing tactile stimulation for comfort and grounding.

3) Disney Princess Tiana

Tiana has Autism. Her little service dog (small dogs are also great) is not performing a task in this figure, but tasks for autistic people may include tactile stimulation, disruption of physically harmful behavior, orientation during over-stimulation episodes, and anxiety calming.

4) Disney Princess Belle

Belle has Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Her service dog is demonstrating a blocking stance so she can be alerted if someone approaches her behind.

5) Disney Princess Snow White

Snow White is allergic to some foods (the artist made reference to mace). Her service dog alert to an allergen in her food.

6) Disney Princess Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty with Narcolepsy. Your service dog is holding his head after an episode of daytime drowsiness. Narcolepsy is a neurological condition that affects sleep and arousal.

7. Disney Princess Pocahontas

Pocahontas has diabetes. Her service dog is a medical alert dog, which tells her through pawing or nudging if her blood sugar is too high or too low.

With the type of discrimination disabled people face around the world, different people have come to air their views on it. This artist chose to lend his voice through his skills, and that is what you just saw in the list above.

What do you think about his work? Share your thoughts with us by making use of the comments section below.

Maryjane